


Little Lifesaver (Audrey & Neville - Memory/Flashback)

by Zirigosa



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Birthday, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25465183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zirigosa/pseuds/Zirigosa
Summary: It's Neville's Birthday, and things turn out worse than they should...(The first two sections in the story were written by skydrew - I completed the story with how it could have ended on that day.)
Relationships: Neville Longbottom/Audrey Longbottom, Neville Longbottom/Audrey Winchester, Neville Longbottom/Original Female Character(s), reyville
Kudos: 3





	Little Lifesaver (Audrey & Neville - Memory/Flashback)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skydrew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skydrew/gifts).



> Audrey/Rey belongs to my friend Drew (tumblr: @drew-winchester, twitter: drewwinchester, IG: drewwinchester)

„I got Norvel Twonk!”  
Neville could tell. Rey’s card was inches from his nose, as she excitedly showed him her new card. He nodded, chewing on chocolate while opening another box. The young girl explained that Twonk died saving a muggle child and Neville swallowed the chocolate before saying „…Woah.” and checking the card he got in his box. A girl with red hair, holding a fish, smiled at him. Mirabella Plunkett. Neville gave Rey the card, and she thanked him and read it. The two kids disagreed on how romantic it was to fall in love with a merman and transfigure into a haddock to live in a Loch. Neville shook his head vigorously and his friend laughed.

„Well,” she said, „I really do like merpeople, though.”  
She put the card with the others. Though none of them collected the Chocolate Frog cards, Rey loved learning more about the witches and wizards. She was curious to see more but didn’t feel like unpacking more chocolate. It was a hot day of summer and what she wished right now was a freezing lemonade. Neville felt the same, and he pushed the box under his bed. It was still partially wrapped. His great-aunt Enid had given Neville this box for his birthday, that same morning. She also gave him a sweater, but he hadn’t felt like trying it in the middle of summer. He could hear the voices of Augusta, Enid, and Algie from his room, and though he loved them, he was thankful that Rey had stayed with him for his birthday. Especially considering her brothers and father were traveling and she had asked them to stay at Neville’s house, so she wouldn’t miss this day. He forbade himself to forget her birthday in three weeks like he had the previous year.

Rey held her breath and even Neville forgot to chew for a moment, as he heard the voices outside.  
It almost sounded like they were talking and debating to each other about a thing, that Neville somehow knew, he wouldn’t appreciate hearing of.  
A bit nervous, he twirled the wrapper in his hand.  
„I think they’re interesting.“ He then said.  
„… Hm?“  
„M-Merpeople.“ Neville stuttered, trying to distract himself from the voices outside. Somehow he had a bad, bad feeling about this.  
Not that he could point on it, but deep inside he just knew, there was something about to happen.  
For now, though, he tried to enjoy his day as best as he could.

It was a huge surprise seeing Rey here, visiting him on this very special day! And even with some chocolate as a gift.  
He felt very much appreciated as a friend if he could call himself one, and a bit like a kid too. He almost had forgotten what it felt like to have fun.  
Not to learn, to read, or to do things that would please the grown-ups, but what made him laugh and giggle.

„Maybe we could go outside, for a bit?“ Neville asked.  
It would be a good change of pace.  
„But... Before they serve the cake?“ Rey asked tilting her head, ignoring completely that Neville just had lots of chocolate.  
„Yeah I mean…“ He shrugged, folding his hand.  
„Maybe you’re right, we should wait.“  
„… No, no, you know what?“ Rey said with a cheerful smile. Without knowing him too good she knew this was a habit he learned from being under constant pressure from his Grannie or other relatives.  
He never did what he wanted to do, and a „no“ was a „no“. He just quietly accepted that his opinion was unwanted and that he still was a kid- And kids obey.

A behavior Rey didn’t want to support, rather than break the bonds, or at least… to loosen them up a little bit.  
„Come!“ She took his hand in hers and jumped from the bed. „We can go play outside a little bit, I love playing in the sun!“  
„Me too!“ Neville answered with a bright smile. And it was his birthday after all. Shouldn’t he be able to decide what he wanted to do?  
„And we’ll be back right in time for when-“  
Footsteps on the stairs coming closer distracted Neville, as he stopped talking. Both kids froze in their movements.  
„Aw, guess it's already time.“ Rey said and smirked. 

Someone knocked gently on the door before opening it. It was Algie taking a glimpse at the two.  
„Hello there, what are you both up to?“ He asked.  
„Nothing, we just wanted to play outside for a moment.“  
Algie stepped in, nodding and closing the door behind him. „I understand.“ He said with a rather concerned voice.

„I’m here to talk with you, Neville. It’s your birthday. Some Wizards do indeed discover their magic skills at a meaningful day like that.“  
He said, coming closer. „Do you feel any different?“

Neville shook his head, backing off slowly, pressing his hands against his chest. „N-No?“  
Rey wasn’t pleased at all about that sudden change of topic, but she learned that she shouldn’t interrupt an adult while talking- It was simply rude, and as long as Algie wasn’t using violence, she wouldn’t interfere- Yet.  
She had a bad feeling about this.  
Algie sighed… He seemed disappointed as if he was longing for something. Waiting for it, for ages…  
„Neville.“ He said. „You really have to make an effort.“  
„I- I do, I just can’t…“  
„You can’t… Or don’t want to?“ He didn’t mean to put any more weight on Neville’s shoulder, but the pressure of that burden seemed to weigh heavily on his own.  
Why?  
Rey stood up between Neville and Algie.  
„We’re about to go outside, at least until there’s cake.“ She sad and hoped to steer the conversation into another direction. 

Algie remained silent, turned his head slowly to the window.

With one swift move, he pulled out his wand, and with a „levicorpus“ he let Neville float.  
The boy gasped before he got moved out of the window.  
„No no!!“ Rey shouted in panic as she saw how dangerous Algie behaved! Someone had to stop this madman before he’d do something even crazier and let Neville go! A fall from this floor would have ended deadly for that poor boy, who cried in panic and tried to grab the wooden window frame.  
„Please, don’t, please!“ He begged.  
„It’s okay, Neville, nothing is going to happen, you know, all you have to do is to cast a spell…!“ Algie said calmly, nodding frantically.

Rey couldn’t stand back and just watch, as she ran towards her friend, climbing up the windowsill to grab whatever she could from Neville’s clothes.  
Almost at the same time, Enid pushed the door open, to bring in some meringue for the birthday-kid and to remind Algie to behave- As she yelped in shock catching the sigh of what was going on here.

Enid dropped the plate, causing Algie to lose focus on his spell, with tremendous consequences.  
It happened all so fast that they could not tell what happening! 

Rey screamed as she fell out of the window, as she tried to grab Neville. Squinting her eyes in a sheer panic- As she suddenly felt something stopping er abrupt.  
Like being held by a belt, a rope, something that stopped her from falling- Midair. Breathing heavily, Rey opened her eyes, starting to whimper in shock as she noticed something slowed her fall down just right in time.  
Having the ground only two hands away from the tip of her nose. The last jolt wasn’t that bad, as she landed on the ground safely. 

She could hear the grown-ups shout something from above, probably in a panic, because hurting Rey, or even worse, would have caused a sack of troubles- And not only this, she knew…  
Slowly she got back up again. Algie probably cast a spell at the right time, it seemed, saving her life with it.  
Sobbing Rey wiped away a tear, looking up she the three heads looking down at her. 

She felt sick and like sitting down for a moment, before anything else. Algie was the first that reached her, running and stumbling down the stairs to check if the little girl was alright.  
Enid scolded him all the way down, but Rey still couldn’t focus. „At least he cast a spell, Enid!“  
She could her Algie say, and Rey knew that Nev did this out of affection, to save her life. It wasn’t his own that caused him to cast, but hers.  
Looking up the facade again, she noticed Neville was gone from the window too. He slowly came down the stairs, not knowing if what he did would cause trouble, since it was his fault Rey fell…

The conversation around Rey faded, as she saw Neville through the open door. That poor boy who never stood up for himself, as it seemed, saved her life, showing her how important she was to him.


End file.
